Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Hamas must release the body of the final Israeli hostage before he allows aid to enter Gaza from Egypt.
On Tuesday, the Israeli broadcast Kan News reports that Netanyahu received approval from President Donald Trump to keep the Rafah crossing closed until the remains of Sgt. Maj. Ran Gvili are returned to Israel.
According to Itzik Gvili, Ran’s father, President Trump said that reconstruction of Gaza would not begin until his son’s body is returned to Israel.
In October, Hamas and Tel Aviv agreed to a ceasefire and hostage exchange that was intended to bring an end to the Israeli onslaught in Gaza. Hamas freed the 20 living Israeli hostages and returned the bodies of 27 of the 28 deceased captives. Finding some of the bodies is a difficult task as they are buried under the rubble of Gaza and the exact location of the remains may not be known.
While Hamas has largely complied with the agreement, Israel has violated the truce daily. On Tuesday, Mosab Abu Toha reported a 14-year-old Palestinian boy, Hamad al-Fajim, was killed by an Israeli tank shell in Khan Younis.
Additionally, Israel continues to restrict aid deliveries in Gaza. The Rafah crossing could provide a key lifeline of aid for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians suffering from a lack of food, shelter, clean water, and medical care.
